Dubstep
Dubstep is the name given to the largely South London-based dark garage sound that originally came out of productions by El-B (as part of both Groove Chronicles and the Ghost camp), Zed Bias (aka Phuturistix, Maddslinky and more) and Steve Gurley in 1999-2000. Like another garage hybrid, grime, it uses dark sounds, but differs from grime as it's largely instrumental.
Origins / Early Dubstep
The term 'dubstep' was first used on an XLR8R magazine cover that featured Horsepower Productions, and gained full acceptance with the Dubstep Allstars Vol 1 CD (Tempa) mixed by DJ Hatcha.
The key touch points of the early dubstep sound were Croydon's now defunct Big Apple shop and rejuvenated Big Apple records that pushed the sound. Producers and DJs in the Croydon area included El-B and Jay Da Flex from Ghost, Hatcha, Menta/Artwork, Skream and Benga from Big Apple records, and Horsepower.
Horsepower released records on the Tempa label, alongside Big Apple one of the first distinctly dubstep labels. Tempa was run by Ammunition Promotions, the other key touch point for the early development of dubstep. Since 2001, Ammunition have been responsible for a raft of labels like Tempa, Soulja, Road, Vehicle, Shelflife, Texture, Stealth People, Bingo and more - though to date only Soulja, Bingo and Tempa remain active.
Forward>>
Ammunition also run club Forward>>, originally held at the Velvet Rooms in London's Soho and now running twice a month out of Plastic People in Shoreditch, east London. This club was critical in the development of dubstep, providing the first venue devoted to the sound and an environment in which producers could premier new music. Forward>> also run a radio show on key east London pirate station Rinse FM, hosted by producer/DJ Kode 9, owner of the pioneering Hyperdub label.
Also part of Forward>> from the start were other strains of garage hybrids. One style of early grime, then called '8bar', was played here by DJs like Slimzee (then of Pay As U Go, now part of Rinse FM). These flavours allowed producers like Croydon's Plasticman and Manchester's Mark One to come through with their own takes on the grime sound. The summer of 2005 has seen Forward>> bring grime DJs to the fore of the line up with Roll Deep, Jammer, Geeneus, Newham Generals performing with their respective MCs.
Breakstep
Forward>> has also been home to the breakbeat influenced side of garage - originally called breakbeat garage, now more often referred to as breakstep - which is not to be confused with dubstep itself.
The breakthrough for this style was DJ Zinc's '138 Trek,' an experiment with drum & bass production at garage tempo (138 bpm). This instigated a dialog between breaks and garage producers, with Forward>> playing host to Zed Bias and Oris Jay (aka Darqwan). They were mirrored in breaks by producers like DJ Deekline, DJ Quest and Ed209. Current descendents of these artists include Toasty Boy, Search & Destroy, Quiet Storm, DJ Distance, Reza, Slaughter Mob and the Hotflush Recordings camp.
Dubstep Today
2003 saw the emergence, through pioneering DJ Hatcha sets, of a new force in dubstep: Digital Mystikz. The south London collective, consisting of Digital Mystikz (Mala and Coki) and Loefah brought sound system thinking, dub values, and jungle bass weight to the dubstep scene - and with it a new lease of life. After 12"s on Big Apple, they began their own DMZ label, which has released six 12"s to date. They also began their night DMZ, held every two months in Brixton, a part of London steeped in reggae history. Showcasing the best in new dubstep talent (such as Skream, N-Type, Scuba, Kode 9, D1, Random Trio, Chef, Pinch, DJ Youngsta) and backed by a massive, sub-bass boosted sound system, the night is currently the benchmark dubstep night worldwide. Only Subloaded, Bristol's dubstep night promoted by DJ Pinch and the Context crew, can compare to DMZ's sound system in weight.
Another key turning point for the scene were the two misnamed 'Grime' compilations put together by Rephlex (assisted by Ammunition). Featuring Plasticman, Mark One and Slaughter Mob on the first volume, and Kode 9, Loefah and Digital Mystikz on the second, it introduced the different Forward>> flavours to the global electronica audience, the repercussions of which can be seen in current productions and club nights.